November 2006

When I was abroad this summer in Eastern Europe, I got to meet a family who had adopted a young Bosnian boy, and had a chance to hear their story. The mother was telling me how it broke her heart to see these kids in the orphanage-they get their diapers changed automatically 3 times a day, at specific times, and on Sundays, because it’s the nurses’ day off, they only get one change in 24 hours! This is obviously only the beginning of the corrupt system, and she would see the nurses’ go through all the donations and take what they wanted before giving anything to the children. But, can you really blame them when their own children at home are going without due to low income? So, churches have begun to come in and are attempting to start foster care systems in these countries, but it is a difficult task when there is a 65% unemployment rate-who can afford extra children? It makes me thankful for things like the MRDD Guardianship program, and others like it. If you can-consider becoming a foster parent yourself!